Re-Avenge
by Amanda6226
Summary: It's been three years since Loki attacked New York City. Everything has been calm and there hasn't been any major trouble that required the Avengers to assemble. At least, there wasn't. It all starts when a mysterious person named Eva saves Tony's life. A few days later, Loki escapes from prison. Things get even more out of hand when a rising gang, the Aliens, thwarts their plans.
1. Their Lives Now

**Chapter 1: Their Life Now**

** *****In a Poor District of Cincinnati*******

The small coffee shop in Cincinnati certainly didn't look like much. It had windows that severely needed cleaning, seven scratched wood tables with stained linen cloths, rusted silverware, and chairs that were about ready to fall apart. The floors desperately needed cleaning while the walls were covered in black framed pictures of famous coffee houses that this little coffee shop aspired to be like.

Its chef was a simple person who never broke or bent rules. He was reliable but rather boring. He always wore a stained chef's uniform and a grey newsboy cap. His name was Brent, though everyone who knew him called him Boring Brent. He wasn't necessarily hated but no one ever invited him to parties.

The bus boy was quite literally a boy. He was an eight year old orphan that had been living on the streets when the coffee shop's owner saw him and took him under her wing. He wore a black t-shirt with baggy jeans but when he was on duty, he wore a black apron with his usual attire. He always seemed quiet and subdued but was actually very energetic. The only time he showed his true colors was around the coffee shop owner because she was the only one he trusted. No one knew the specifics about his real parents but they all knew it wasn't good. He cringed every time someone tried to bring it up. His name was simply Davy, he had no last name.

The coffee shop served some of the best coffee around though no one but the locals visited the run down shop. The despite the better-than-Starbucks-or-Dunkin-Donuts taste of the coffee, it was nearly dirt cheap. No one could buy it if it was any more expensive. That and the coffee shop owner didn't like coffee so she didn't see a reason it should cost any more.

The coffee was a secret recipe the shop owner's grandmother gave her. She, on the other hand, had the most delight in serving people Southern-Style breakfasts and French Pastries. The restaurant could have had five stars if it was in a better neighborhood. The owner could've opened the shop up somewhere else but she believed that the less fortunate people should enjoy food that was healthier than McDonalds or Burger King for every meal.

She also knew that they would appreciate it more here. Once upon a time she had a famous restaurant in New York City but the rich people who ate there were picky, called her menu 'stupid', and made disgusted faces when they ate the food even though they loved it. So when the aliens/Loki attacked New York City three years ago, she packed up her bags and moved away.

Now the shady part of Cincinnati was her home. She could've moved somewhere more posh but she didn't exactly want to, she'd been enough fancy places in her life.

As Tony Stark was taking a jog around Cincinnati, he knew none of this information about the little coffee shop other than its shaggy looks. However, it was lucky he was jogging in front of _this_ coffee shop when his Arc Reactor glitched for a half second. It was nothing major, it only knocked him out cold.

As Davy saw this, he gasped. It was six thirty in the morning, the shop was empty, so it was okay for him to run up stairs to the owners flat without fear of a robbery. Not that they would've been robbed anyway, everyone in town loved the store, but you can never be too careful. The little two bedroom, two bathroom, one small living/kitchen area was the home of Davy and the shop's owner, Eva Richards.

Davy grabbed Eva's wrist and began to tug her down stairs. Automatically sensing that something was wrong, she followed him downstairs. She ran outside at Davy's heels and saw Tony Stark's limp form.

"So do we help this filthy rich maniac" Davy asked bitterly.

"Yes, he is injured and we are people who aren't. It's our job to help him" Eva replied gently, "Now help me bring him upstairs. We don't want him out here on this dirty sidewalk with that nasty head wound."

*******Somewhere Underground in Asgard*******

Loki sat in his little cage, bitterly thinking of little things that could've changed in the past that might have allowed him to be somewhere else other than this boring cell. Sometimes Thor would visit him but Loki usually stayed quiet during these times. Like a child, he was giving Thor the silent treatment.

For now he had to wait out his prison sentence. Once he was out, he had bigger plans than last time. He knew that calling upon the Chitari for help was risky but now he had an even more brilliant idea. It was so smart yet so simple. It didn't require nearly as much violence as his previous idea but his was much more effective. He felt stupid he hadn't thought of it earlier.

All he had to do now was find his staff and get to Earth. So easy and yet so impossible. Before he could finish his day dream about conquering Earth, Thor walked in, taking him out of his reverie.

"How goes it, brother" Thor asked cheerily.

Loki stayed silent as usual but Thor continued trying to bring a light and happy atmosphere to the doom and gloom room.

"Heimdall repaired the Bifrost this morning. I cannot wait to see Jane once again! Three years is much too long. Maybe I can bring you to there once your sentence had been served. That would be exciting, would it not?"

After waiting a short period of time for Loki to reply, Thor sighed in exasperation. He did not appreciate Loki's constant silence. He missed his chatty competitive brother. So much had changed between the two and sometimes he had a hard time admitting it to himself.

"Still a mute, I see. Dear brother, won't you talk" Thor said sadly. As more silence answered him, he got up and walked upstairs.

Loki smirked as Thor walked away in frustration. Even at his weakest, he could still push Thor's buttons, a small comfort to him in this time of otherwise maddening emptiness.

*******At a University in Washington DC*******

Bruce Banner smiled as his student turned in the completed essay. It was about the Effects of Gamma Radiation on Prokaryotes. He was so proud that he managed to teach at least one student about the Electromagnetic Spectrum properly. The others went into depth about the visible part of the spectrum, not the gamma part. Some were fine essays but none ever reached the same caliber as Linda Starling's.

"Good work today class. Remember to get a good night sleep for Friday's exam" Bruce stated as his class slowly exited the classroom.

He was unsure about being a teacher when he was offered the job two years ago. It was mainly because he didn't want to accidentally turn into the Other Guy when a particularly annoying student stepped over the line too often. Luckily, he'd been able to keep his anger in check so he accepted the job. It turned out to be the best choice he'd ever made.

He now had a large tidy science classroom that was his to do as he pleased. He could work on an experiment or he could use one of the high tech-computers to email his friends. Starting new gave him the chance to do something he usually avoided, making friends. Used to being cast off as too intelligent, he wasn't exactly bouncing out of his seat to be accepted into the tight-knit society of the University's professors. In fact, he nearly fell out of his seat when he discovered how excited the other professors were to meet him.

"Excuse me" Linda Starling asked as she approached Bruce at his desk.

"Yes" Bruce said, a little distracted by skimming over the newly turned in reports.

"I have a question to ask" she continued.

"Well, fire away" Bruce replied, glancing up from the papers for a moment.

"Well, it's well known that radio waves are the weakest waves on the Spectrum so why do we use them for cell towers and radio. Wouldn't it be much more efficient if we found a way to use ultraviolet waves or another kind to do the work instead" she asked eagerly as she pulled out a notepad to write down the professor's response.

Bruce was glad he had such an enthusiastic student but he knew that the reply to her question was much wordier than she anticipated. He checked his watch, he had an hour until his next class, hopefully that was enough time.

"Well…there are many reasons was use radio waves over the other kinds for daily tasks. To begin with…"

*******An Alley in Tokyo, Japan*******

Shin Wo hadn't done much good in his life. He robbed, killed, blackmailed, mugged, kidnapped, and sold drugs to innocent people. He was definitely not a role model parents wanted their kids to have. He never cared about peoples feeling as long as his empire expanded and he remained rich.

He was just going back to his mansion after poisoning one of his rivals to death in a nearby pub. He was just beginning to celebrate his victory when two shadows appeared in front of him. One was a woman with red hair and a gun in her hand while the other was a brunette man with a loaded bow in his hands.

He'd heard of them before, Hawkeye and the Black Widow, two of the world's greatest assassins. He knew escape was impossible, once they targeted you, you were as good as dead.

"Any last words" the Black Widow asked as she turned the safety off on her handgun.

"Tell Ree that she's gets my house, not Eta" Shin stated as the Black Widow pulled the trigger.

Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, looked at the man in confusion. Usually people's last words were to tell someone that the person loved them not who a house belonged to.

"I wonder what that was about" Natasha, AKA the Black Widow, stated as he looked down at the man.

"I have not the slightest clue" Clint replied honestly.

*******Somewhere in the Sky Above New York*******

Nick Fury looked as his officers as they bustled around. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed the Avengers. All of his employees did as they were told and nothing else, they never argued as much as the Avengers did. He knew where they all were except Steve Rodgers, AKA Captain America. Stark was in Ohio, Clint and Natasha were in Japan, Thor was on Asgard, and Bruce was in Washington. Unlike the others, once they were free to leave, Captain America disappeared without a trace.

Fury knew that it would take a while for Captain to become accustom to modern day but he never knew that Captain would go on his own to do so. Once upon a time, Nick Fury believed that when all of the other Avengers were gone, Captain America would still be there to support S.H.I.E.L.D. He was obviously very wrong since the Captain was the first to go.

**Authors Note:**

**/*** And so the story begins. Captain America is missing, the Hulk is a teacher, Thor is still trying to reconnect with Loki, Iron Man's Arc Reactor malfunctions, Clint and Natasha are still assassins for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Fury is getting bored (which is never good). So it starts off a bit weird for them. They're superheroes and they aren't acting like it right now. In fact they might even be acting a little _normal._ Or at least as normal as it gets for the Avengers.

We also meet Linda, Davy, and Eva, three new characters. You'll discover why they're important late, this chapter was mainly introductions, the action will come later so don't worry just yet.

Just so you know, at the end of every chapter I will add a recap like the one above just to make sure you didn't miss any major points and so you don't have to reread the entire chapter if you forgot it by the time I post the next chapter. If you want to, you can completely disregard these authors notes, you won't miss anything important. I know these 'authors notes' are supposed to be short but I don't want to leave anyone confused.*/


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Tony Awakens, Loki Talks, and Nick Recruits**

*******Eva's House, Cincinnati, Ohio*******

Tony blinked twice before sitting up and looking around. He saw that he was in a run down room and wondered how he'd gotten there. The room was attached to a small kitchen with very few counter tops and appliances randomly placed everywhere. The room he was in had two run down fabric couches, a large foggy window, and an old TV.

As he observed his surroundings, a dirt-caked boy with dark skin and hair in dreadlocks entered the room. The boy looked at him in surprise before yelling down the stairs he had come up, "EVA! HE'S AWAKE!"

A girl who looked no older than eighteen came up the stairs. She had wavy blonde hair, royal blue eyes, and wore a polo shirt with jeans and an apron. She looked at Tony and nodded towards the boy.

"Davy, please don't yell. Everyone downstairs could hear you. Now while I handle this, go look after the restaurant" she said as the boy raced down the stairs.

After he left, she walked over to the kitchen and filled a pot with water. Setting it on the burner, she reached into a cabinet and grabbed some tea bags that she placed in the pot. She then walked over to couch across from Tony and sat.

"Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here" Tony demanded the second she sat down.

"Well, you're here because I found you outside my shop passed out cold. I'm Eva and this is my house" the girl replied.

Tony hesitated for a moment before timidly saying, "Well, thanks for saving me."

She smiled and said, "No problem but don't ever do that again."

She got up and walked over to the kitchen and got two mugs out of the cabinets. She poured some of the tea from the pot into the two mugs before walking back to the living room. Then she handed a mug to Tony as she retook her seat. He cautiously took a sip so he didn't offend her because she had just saved his life. He'd seen the apartment, if her tea tasted anything like the room, it would be disgusting.

To his surprise, the tea was delicious. He downed it in three gulps. She smiled as she noticed him greedily drink the tea. That was usually a person's first reaction to it. They were usually wary of it at first but take a sip so they aren't rude. Then they realize how good it is and gulp it down.

"Hopefully you're feeling better soon. You can't lounge here all day, I have a restaurant to run" Eva said as she stood and took his mug back to the kitchen.

She began to wash the mug as Tony went over what just happened in his head. First he went for a run and then passed out. After that he woke up here and drank some delicious tea. He glanced at the clock to check the time and nearly fell out of his seat as he noticed that it was one o'clock in the afternoon.

His thoughts automatically went to how worried Pepper would be. He couldn't give her a big scare. Ever since the alien attack and when he almost died, for the second time, he promised he'd stay safe so Pepper didn't have a heart attack. Now, he still did some incredibly stupid stuff but nothing life endangering.

"I probably ought to get going anyway" Tony said as he stood and began walking down the stairs she had come up.

"Stop! Unless you want to be attacked by some people who don't particularly like you, I'd recommend going out the back" Eva stated as she ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

Nodding, he allowed her to guide him to the back exit. He then walked down the stairs and began jogging back to Stark Tower Cincinnati, which was about ten miles away.

"And next time don't go jogging in high humidity unless you want your Arc Reactor to glitch again" Eva shouted in his direction as she closed her door.

Tony nodded but continued to run, never looking back and never planning on returning.

******* Somewhere Underground in Asgard*******

Thor was sitting by Loki's cell again, attempting to get his brother to speak again. He rambled on about things Loki was usually very opinionated about. He was worried about Loki's constant silence. For a while, he began to believe his brother was going insane. He still did but not as much as he did previously.

Loki was tempted many times to give a particularly nasty retort but he kept his mouth shut. It was a lot more challenging than he though it'd be. He first thought it would be an easy way to annoy his brother but it proved to be painful for him to. He was glad that at least Thor was extremely annoyed. This was encouraging enough for him to continue on in eerie silence. It made the lack of talking considerably easier.

"Do you recall the first time the Bifrost Bridge shattered? We were so small then. I still cannot comprehend why she did that" Thor sighed. His father had recently told him some of the reasons she left.

Loki remembered that day in bitterness. Lin had been his best friend but that day, she left Asgard forever. He remembered that day clearly, he could never forget it. It was the day the only person who ever appreciated him left.

_Lin wore the toughest armor in the entire kingdom that day, it did belong to her after all. It was simple but had ancient runes on it that gave it special properties. It looked like American jeans with a leather jacket but it was indeed armor. It was the only kind of armor in existence with its properties._

_ That particular day, she was on the Bifrost Bridge, trying to get past all of the Asgardians who wanted her to stay. She expertly moved her dagger to hurt them but not kill them. After all, once upon a time, they were all friends. She sprinted towards the Bifrost as fast as she could so she didn't have to fight them but the Asgardians still managed to hit her and give her a few scrapes. They wanted her to stay, no one had willingly left Asgard before._

_ "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost" she shouted as she neared the chamber._

_ "No! Do not" Odin shouted from the other end of the bridge. He was growing old by this point but his voice still carried for miles._

_ Despite the king's orders, Heimdall opened the Bifrost. Lin threw her dagger into the air and it expanded into a sword. The second she caught the sword, she thrust it into the bridge. The bridge began to shake and crumble. Then it began to fall apart, forcing the Asgardians to retreat as the Lin reached the Bifrost._

_ "Where to, madam" Heimdall asked as the portal began to open._

Loki never learned why Lin left but it was thirty years until they fixed the bridge. He admired her bravery but always wondered what ever came of her. He also wondered why she left. No one ever told him because no one really knew why.

"A little while ago, Father shed some light on the reasons of her departure. I thought them selfish" Thor stated casually, hoping to get a reaction from Loki. He knew how close Loki was to Lin. She had been friends with everyone, no one particularly hated her but she and Loki had always been inseparable.

Loki was outraged by Thor's disrespect for her. He couldn't believe Thor would turn his back on the one who taught him to fight. Lin had been Thor's combat teacher. She was the one who established that he would fight best with a hammer.

"Lin was never selfish, you know that" Loki snapped before he could stop himself.

Thor smiled that he'd gotten Loki to speak. After growing up with him, Thor had caught onto some of Loki's tricks. One was to anger a person to get the answers you wanted. In this case, Thor didn't want answers, he just wanted to hear Loki's voice.

"Yes, brother, I do know that but Odin does not think highly of her" Thor stated sadly. He did indeed enjoy Lin's presence as much as Loki had but he never understood her as well as Loki did.

*******At a University in Washington DC*******

Bruce Banner sat in his office and graded the essays he had gotten from his students. So far, Linda Starling's was the best but that was no surprise, she was a prodigy. He remembered the first day she had come into the classroom. She'd already read the textbook twice and was bouncing out of her seat to begin learning. Some of the others were a little enthusiastic but none got as much joy as she did when the lessons started.

While he was grading papers, she was sitting in her dorm talking to her chatty roommate, Darcy Evans. Darcy could yammer on for hours about any subject. At the moment, she want ranting about how yellow was a more useful color than red. Linda wasn't really listening, she usually blocked these rants out.

Linda had long black hair and green eyes. She had pale skin and usually wore yoga pants with a t-shirt. Darcy was a tall person with dark hair, eyes, and skin. She usually wore a parka and jeans, though she was never cold to begin with.

Their classmates usually regarded Linda as a buzz kill while Darcy was the life of the party. Despite their obvious differences, Linda and Darcy were best friends. They had been since grade school and would probably always be.

"So what are you going to do over Spring Break" Darcy asked Linda after she finished her two hour rant. Spring Break was in three days and they both weren't going to be spending the break at school.

"I'm headed to New York City, I've been getting a bit homesick lately. What are you doing" Linda replied as she put her textbook down. She had been studying while Darcy ranted.

"Really, New York City? Me too! I'm visiting my dad. It's been so long since I've seen him" Darcy replied, a little surprised.

Linda was surprised that Darcy was going to see her dad. Her parents had divorced over twenty years ago, Darcy had only ever lived with her mother. Linda had never heard Darcy mention her father, sometimes she didn't even believe that Darcy's father had ever existed.

"Cool, maybe we can drive over together" Linda suggested.

"That'd be so cool!"

*******Somewhere in the Sky Above New York City*******

Nick Fury sat in one of the meeting rooms. This one had a large glass table with eight plush black leather chairs. Only three seats were occupied, he sat in one and Clint and Natasha sat in the other two.

He'd just described his plan to them about how to exterminate a nasty gang that's headquarters were in New York. He suggested they call in Tony and Banner in order to assure the gang was gone for good. Despite his finely worded explanation, they saw through it to the real reason.

The real reason was that Fury missed the Avengers all in one place to he wanted an excuse to gather them. Fury had been looking for an excuse for years and he was sure that this was his best opportunity to do it. It wouldn't be as exciting as fighting Loki but it would still hold some amount of enjoyment.

"Why don't we recruit Steve too if we're taking Tony and Bruce with us" Clint asked after Fury finished explaining the game plan.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been unable to locate Mr. Rogers for quite some time now. I'm afraid we must continue without him" Nick Fury stated sadly.

"That's a shame. I will miss working by his side" Natasha sighed.

Both Clint and Natasha had enjoyed the Captain's company and felt he should be by their side if the Avengers were ever assembled again. They deflated a bit after hearing that even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find Captain. They both knew how hard it was to avoid being detected by S.H.I.E.L.D. They had no clue how Steve managed it unless he was dead. They were both almost certain that he wasn't dead but had no clue where he might be.

**Authors Note**

**/*** So Tony's okay! That's always good. He'd be incredibly annoying otherwise. I don't think even Pepper could handle it if he was injured because of a silly mistake.

We now also know that the bridge that leads to the Bifrost has also been broken once before by Lin, a missing Asgardian who was good friends with Loki. It's supposed to be rather hard to break that bridge but it appears as if Thor and Lin don't have the word 'hard' or 'impossble' in their dictionaries.

We also meet Darcy, who's headed to New York with Linda. She may seem irrelevant but she's hiding something. No, it won't destroy the world but it can change lives forever. She's also not the Darcy from the movie Thor (even though they share the same name they are completely different people).

Lastly, Nick Fury is gathering the Avengers to fight off a gang. He is overreacting a bit but he misses them (but he'll never admit it since he _is_ Nick Fury). After all, where's the fun in sending a random S.H.I.E.L.D. agent out when you can send out the Avengers?

So basically the tides change a bit and trouble is coming very, very soon. Like next chapter soon. ***/**


	3. The Tables Turn

**Chapter 3: The Tables Turn**

*******Stark Towers Cincinnati***** **

Tony Stark slowly opened the doors to his skyscraper. The lobby was the simplest of all of his towers, it had a wooden reception desk, fluffy red carpet, and golden walls. In the corner of the room was a fish tank with several kio fish, and three domino print couches. A reporter sat in one of the domino chairs. By her attire, a button down blue polo shirt and a black skirt, Tony guessed that she was with the local news station.

When he entered, she and her cameraman ran up to him and began attacking him with questions. He tried waving them off and telling them to give him a few minutes but they continued. He nearly told JARVIS to shoot them with sleeping darts but luckily Ms. Potts came in and sternly told them to leave.

As soon as they were gone, she began dragging him to the elevator. He tried protesting but she shushed him. Once they were on a more private floor, away from the nosy receptionist and eavesdropping reporter, she stopped dragging him.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING DISAPPEARING LIKE THAT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST GOING FOR A RUN, NOT AN EIGHT HOUR TRIP" she yelled angrily, her face turning bright red.

She thought he had lied and went somewhere else for the trip. She wasn't sure where he would have gone but where ever he had gone, he didn't tell her. Pepper was always worried about his safety and disappearing into a potentially dangerous city for hours with no one knowing where you are definitely wasn't safe.

"I'm sorry. I passed out, I'm not entirely sure what happened but I woke up about an hour ago and immediately started coming back to here" Tony explained.

"You what" Pepper gasped in surprised.

"I passed out. I don't really know how but I know it wasn't kidnapping or robbery because the person who took me in let me go as soon as I woke up" Tony replied.

He was pretty sure Eva hadn't kidnapped him. After all, she did help him and let him go. He didn't have any money with him so he couldn't have possibly been robbed. He hadn't really thought much about why he passed out but that's because he had no clue. In theory, he was as healthy as a horse, it should have never happened.

"Well, we must go thank them for helping you. Maybe they saw what happened" Pepper suggested.

"Maybe they did but I don't particularly want to go back there. It was rather run down and dirty" Tony pointed out.

"Then at least let me give them a bit of money to thank them for helping you."

"Isn't meeting me enough of a prize?"

"No, now quit complaining and guide me to this place."

*******At the Coffee Shop in Cincinnati*******

Eva handed Stan his Italian Sub and he smiled. He loved the Italian Subs the coffee shop sold. He loved their coffee even more. He usually visited the shop twice a day, once to grab a coffee to-go during his morning run and another to get some lunch. Sometimes he would come three times, he would get dessert here on special occasions.

He was definitely Eva's best customer. She didn't mind him coming in every day, he gave big tips and was extremely respectful. Unlike many of the others in the neighborhood, he seemed to have an education of some sort. Why he was there, Eva would never know, he could obviously live somewhere better if he the reason, she was glad he was there.

He was one of her friends, they usually went to the local gym and worked out there together, he was extremely athletic but so was she. They both clearly remembered the first day they met. It was three years ago.

_Eva went into to the gym and glanced around. She saw Joe, one of the instructors with his usual class of three. In the corner she saw someone new, he had blonde hair, intelligent blue eyes, and looked to be about her age, early twenties. He was also quite muscular but not extremely so. He was furiously punching one of the sandbags attached to the ceiling._

_"He's knocked down more sandbags than you" the receptionist, Carlos, stated as he noticed her looking at him. _

_Eva had a reputation to knock many sandbags a day to the floor. She was a lot stronger than she looked, as the townspeople learned the day she moved in two years earlier. They had tried to mug her but she beat the two teenagers until they were begging for mercy. After that, everyone respected her and she was never provoked again._

_She usually got out her pent up anger out on the sandbags. Normally after twenty minutes, she would accidentally send them flying across the room. The people in the gym were startled by this on the first day and passed it as a loose sandbag but she continued to do this everyday, sometimes twice. They eventually got used to it but they all still cringed every time the bag hit the wall, which was at least once a day._

_"He doesn't do it with as much style though. His just fall to the ground, he's done it twice now" Carlos added, recalling how she usually sent the heavy bags flying into the wall ten feet away._

_Eva was surprised by this, she never expected someone to be able to knock down two sandbags in a day and continue punching. She could knock down more if she wanted but she never did, she knew the gym had a hard enough time fixing the one bag a day she broke._

_"He does, now does he" Eva said, not believing nor disbelieving Carlos._

_Suddenly, the bag the blonde was punching fell to the floor. He sighed in exasperation and moved it before finding another bag and attaching it to the ceiling. Eva immediately knew she had to put this person in his place, she couldn't have him thinking he could hurt the townspeople because they couldn't defend themselves against his superior strength. _

_She walked up to him and said, "You know, I'm not so sure those sandbags like hitting the floor."_

_He stopped punching and laughed, appearing happy rather than frustrated as he was a minute ago. He turned to face her and quickly tried to figure out why she might have been talking to him. He wasn't used to random strangers talking to him. He couldn't figure out why so he replied to her, hoping that the conversation might lead to an answer._

_"No, I'm not sure they don't. I'd apologize but they don't have ears so they can't hear me" the blonde man replied lightly._

_"True, very true. I'm Eva, by the way. Who are you?"_

_Now he understood why she was here. He was new to the town and she was a local. She wanted to see if he would present any problems to her or her friends. He wondered why they would send such an unimposing person to represent them. Usually a town like this would send their most frightening person to threaten him to not hurt or rob anyone. _

_"I'm Stan" the blonde replied._

_"Nice to meet you Stan" Eva replied, sticking her hand out for him to shake it. _

_He shook it and she noticed that he had a firm grip with calloused hands. He noticed that she had soft weak hands. He was now more confused than ever as to why she was even in the gym. She certainly didn't look like the type of person to work out._

_"So why are you here" Stan asked._

_"Well, I was originally here to see if you might hurt people in my town but you don't seem like the violent type. Now I'm here to show you how you're supposed to knock a sandbag down. You don't have any style when you do it" Eva explained._

_"And you can knock down a sandbag" Stan asked, seriously doubting she could even cause the sandbag to move._

_"Sure, fifty bucks says I can make it hit that wall with one punch" Eva stated, preying on his lack of knowledge of her strength._

_"I'm usually not the betting type, but you're on" Stan stated confidently._

_Eva nodded and took her black padded gloves like his out of her bag. She put them on and got in a different stance than she usually did when she punched the bag. She usually stood so that the bags got the minimum impact of her punch but there was no reason for that now. He backed away a bit so she had room to punch._

_She pulled her right fist back behind her head, as if she was drawing a bow. Then she sent it flying towards the bag. The bag took full impact and was ripped away from the chains holding it to the ceiling. It was sent into the wall, it even dented the wall a bit. As it hit the floor, sand began leaking out of it._

_By this point, everyone in the gym was staring at them. They knew that Eva would show Stan who's boss in someway but they never expected to see that. It surprised them a little that Eva could do that, they knew she was strong but not _that_ strong. _

_Stan however, had never seen someone so strong. He didn't even think it was possible, especially from such a weak-looking person as her. His jaw had dropped the minute he'd seen the bag break away from the chain. _

_"I do believe you owe me fifty dollars" Eva stated smugly, not even breaking a sweat._

She never did that hit against the sandbag since and refused to say how she did it. He continued to wonder how she accomplished that. He was glad they were friends, though. He did not want to be on the opposite side as her, getting hit by her would be no fun whatsoever.

"Do you want more coffee" she asked him as she came up with a pitcher of it.

"Of coarse! What do I look like? An idiot" he replied jokingly.

She poured it and then said, "No, you don't look like an idiot, you look like a coffee addicted idiot. Seriously, do you ever sleep?"

"Maybe not" he replied mysteriously but jokingly.

"So what's the gossip going around town today" Stan asked, a bit more seriously.

Davy, who was clearing the table nearby, jumped in to explain. "We saw Iron Man. We _met_ Iron Man" Davy stated in child-like excitement. Davy was usually quiet but like every little boy, Tony Stark was his idol.

Stan's reply to this was not what Davy expected. Davy thought Stan would be as excited as him but instead, Stan looked horrified. After a second, his expression turned serious and he turned his head to Eva.

"Next time you see him, don't go anywhere near him. Keep as far away as you can. He's dangerous to people like you" Stan said, looking directly into her eyes. His fear for her was apparent, he didn't bother to hide it. He knew of Tony Stark, he was someone to avoid.

"I can handle myself" Eva replied lightly, trying to bring back the positive atmosphere.

"I know, but he can be very persuasive. You can't believe a word he says" Stan stated blatantly.

"Well, I guess we're about to find out how persuasive he is. He is right outside with his Personal Assistant" Eva sighed.

"WHAT" Stan exclaimed as he turn to face the door. Sure enough, Tony Stark was opening the coffee shop door with Pepper Potts right at his heels.

******* Somewhere Underground in Asgard*******

Loki watched Thor leave. He was angry with himself, Thor had gotten him to talk. He was becoming weak and he couldn't accept that. He knew he had to escape before he became a marshmallow like Thor. He was trying to think of how to get out but escape was impossible. There was no nook or cranny that might led to a key or a secret exit.

Then it hit him, an idea that was fool proof. He raised his hand into the air and set all of his thoughts on his staff. He figured that if Thor can call his hammer, why couldn't he summon his scepter? He felt a weight in his hand and looked up to see his staff.

Smiling he touched it to the cell door and it crumbled into dust. The guard outside immediately started to attack him but he touched the staff first and was out cold. He managed to get out of the secret tunnels under Asgard with no problem. He knew his biggest issue would be getting through Heimdall.

As he snuck through the castle he tried thinking of ways to get by Heimdall. He knew threatening wouldn't work, Heimdall had no worldly cares. He also knew that stealing Heimdall's key wouldn't work, he didn't know how to work the portal. He could try turning Heimdall but Heimdall was resistant to enemy magic.

He was walking on the Bifrost Bridge by now. He hadn't run into anyone yet, no one knew he was missing. He picked up his pace, not wanting to test his luck. He could only hope his natural deceiving skills would help him get through.

When he approached, he saw Heimdall standing in his golden armor, holding the sword that was the key to the Bifrost in his hands. Heimdall pointed his sword at Loki in one fluid motion and demanded, "Halt! You are not allowed here Loki."

"Oh, but I must get through" Loki stated mischievously, hoping that the warrior understood the message behind it. _Let me through or you'll wish you were dead._

"State your reason to leave" Heimdall replied, his golden eyes piercing into Loki's soul. Usually this intimidated people and caused them to cower and run but Loki remained unaffected.

Seeing no reason to lie, Loki said, "I wish to find Lin."

To Loki's surprise, Heimdall immediately put his sword down and began walking over to the keyhole. He put the sword in and almost instantaneously, the Bifrist opened.

"Find Lin and return here with her" Heimdall stated as Loki hesitantly followed.

"Why are you willingly helping me" Loki asked curiously.

"I miss the lady. She brought much joy to Asgard. I cannot go searching for her myself, my work is here, but no one else has gone to look for her. If you really are searching for her, than I wish you luck" Heimdall said as he opened the portal.

Loki was surprised by Heimdall's response. He never knew that Heimdall could show care. He knew Lin had quite the effect on everyone but he never expected her to be close friends with Heimdall. No one was friends with Heimdall unless it was business.

Then he remembered how Heimdall listened to her and not Odin the day she left. Now it made sense. He should have seen it. As he was transported to the planet Heimdall had once sent her to, he couldn't help but wonder what planet it was.

He hoped she was with his brethren, the Frost Giants, but wouldn't mind if she was with the Chitari. When he opened his eyes, he was disappointed. He saw the white stone obelisk in the distance and saw the traffic of cars below. He couldn't believe that she was here with these…ants…these pests…these _humans_.

*******At a University in Washington DC*******

Bruce closed his classroom door and locked it. It was getting late and he knew he should get dinner and some sleep before the Other Guy started complaining. He started walking down the dimly lit hall before he saw a vaguely familiar person block his path. He couldn't put his finger on who it was, he couldn't see their face either because of the shadow on it.

"Mr. Banner, I suggest you come with me peacefully before I set the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. on you" the person stated in mock threat before stepping out of the shadows.

Bruce laughed as he saw Clint Barton before him. He knew Clint would never shoot him. After the battle with Loki three years ago, the two had become close friends. It began with Clint asking Bruce to find out how to prevent Loki from possessing him again. After that, they hung out to laugh about how high Fury's expectations of them were.

"It's nice to see you again, it's been two years. Has S.H.I.E.L.D. been treating you alright? Let me guess, they have an assignment for me" Bruce said. It sounded bitter but Clint knew that Banner was half-joking. It wasn't at all bitter, even though it sounded the part.

"Yes, our dear old boss has a job for you. They want us to hunt down some gang" Clint replied.

Bruce nodded in understanding. "I wondered how he was going to handle the Aliens" he stated.

"The who?"

"The Aliens, they're a huge gang. They've done a few robberies on campus."

"Why in the world would they call themselves that?"

"I'm not sure but, I hope it's not because they are from Asgard."

"I sure hope it's not."

"So where's Natasha, you guys used to be stuck like glue."

"She has to recruit Tony."

They both laughed. They knew that Natasha and Tony had never gotten along. It would be priceless to see the encounter.

Across campus at the same time, Darcy was loading her things into Linda's car. They would be leaving in the morning since Linda had already taken all of her tests that were going to be given on Friday and Darcy has no classes. They both couldn't wait to get to New York, though for very different reasons.

They both would split up when Linda dropped Darcy off at her house there. Then she would go and pick her up in a week. Darcy wasn't going to particularly enjoy this trip. She was never a fan of her dad. Her father treated her like she was weak and dumb. She hated it.

On the other hand, Linda couldn't wait to get home. It was the only place she ever felt appreciated. She wanted Darcy to meet her family there but knew it wasn't a good idea. Her family would hate Darcy, she was too happy and bubbly.

Linda finished her last bit of homework as Darcy locked the car. When Darcy came inside, she was unusually quiet. There was no two hour rant about something random, just the awkward silence.

"Tomorrow's a big day" Linda said, trying to break the silence.

"You have no idea" Darcy sighed as she grabbed her toothbrush and walked into the bathroom.

**Authors Note:**

**/*** So Tony has returned home…only for Pepper to drag him out and make him thank his heroes. She is a good person, always keeping Tony in check. It's a hard job but she does it just fine in my opinion.

Next we meet Eva's #1 customer, Stan, who shares her reputation for being a sandbag's nightmare. **Spoiler Alert** but who does this remind you of? Just think about it for a minute. Got it? Well, if you don't, it'll be spelled out for you next chapter. For those of you who's eyes have widened and have seen the hint, I bet you have many more questions now. Sadly for you guys, it'll be a while until we discover the real answer but it will come.

Also, Clint, Bruce, Linda, and Darcy are all headed to New York. They all started in D.C. together and now are all headed to New York City together. Coincidence? Maybe it is or maybe it isn't.

And finally, Loki has also escaped. The god of mischief is out to spread chaos and havoc once more. Houston, we have a problem. A huge problem. Remember what Loki did last time? Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, he revised_ that_ plan.

So basically, things are getting a lot more crazy, especially with Loki free and the Avengers almost assembled. The fight (or flight for some) will begin soon. ***/**


	4. Found

**Chapter 4: Found**

******* At the Coffee Shop in Cincinnati*******

Tony had guided Pepper to the shop, only this time he drove his red sports car there. When he parked, he noticed that there was only one customer in the shop with Eva and the boy, the shop was otherwise deserted. The street was also empty, most of the people were at work or inside escaping the heat of the sun.

As he walked into the shop, Pepper pulled out the check she had written. It was for 5,000 dollars, enough for Eva to open up a shop somewhere nice or to give her restaurant a make-over, which was something he noticed it needed. He didn't remember being inside the restaurant because he was unconscious when he was but he now noticed that it was just as dirt-caked as her apartment.

When he opened the door, the sleigh bells on it jingled. Eva automatically turned to see who entered. The customer she was talking to also turned but he did not look happy. There was something familiar about the customer, Tony was sure he knew the person. He wasn't sure where he would've met the person though, he didn't hang out in dangerous districts that often. In fact, he usually avoided them all together.

The little boy who had yelled for Eva began bouncing up and down. He ran to the cash register and grabbed a paper and pen. He then ran up to Tony and held it out for him.

"Can I get an autograph" the little boy asked.

Tony nodded and took the paper and pencil. He signed it and handed it back. The boy continued bouncing in excitement as he got the paper back. Tony was glad someone was ecstatic to see him after his chilly reception. The customer looked annoyed that Tony was there while Eva showed an expression of indifference.

Pepper came in the door a second later and looked around. She wasn't impressed by what she saw but wasn't surprised either. She knew where she was and was surprised someone here helped Tony at all in his time of need.

"Back so soon I see. What do you want? You were so eager to leave earlier" Eva asked, surprisingly cold.

She had been so friendly when Tony was there earlier, he wondered what had changed. It had only been an hour, Tony knew opinions couldn't change that fast. Not unless the customer had said something particularly nasty about it.

"Hello, you must be Eva. I wanted to thank you for helping Tony earlier. I thought you might want a reward" Pepper stated cheerily as she handed Eva the check.

Both Tony and Pepper expected her to gasp at the amount of money they had given her. Instead, she looked at it and nodded. She walked over to the cash register and put the money in a compartment below it. Not even the slightest bit of enthusiasm showed.

"I appreciate your generosity" she stated simply.

Tony had expected a very different reaction. No one had ever reacted like this when given that much money. He had no clue why someone living in a place like this would act like that. He knew most people cared about money, some even killed for it. He wasn't sure how someone wouldn't care the least bit about it.

Pepper found her level headedness admirable. She was glad that Eva wasn't one of those people who overreacted to everything. She also wasn't sure how bad Tony would become if his ego got the boost of another worshipper. He would become insufferable at the least.

"So, is this your restaurant" Pepper asked Eva, trying to break the silence that had enveloped the room.

"Yes, it's also the only decent ones for blocks. About a mile away you can find a McDonald's but I'd recommend not eating there. Do you have any idea what they put in that food? It's disgusting" Eva replied with a shiver.

Pepper laughed, "It is quite disgusting. There's a reason I don't let Tony eat there."

"Stan here is lucky, he's from a small town. He didn't know what a McDonalds was until he came here" Eva replied a she elbowed the customer in the shoulder. He swatted her elbow away but smiled.

"I'm glad we didn't have any of those in my town" the customer, Stan, stated.

Then something in Tony's head clicked into place. He'd heard that voice before, he_ knew _that voice. There was no doubt about where Tony knew Stan from now. He looked again and now he realized how little Stan hadn't changed much since he knew him. In fact, the only difference is that his hair had gotten a bit longer.

"You're _town_? Steve, we both know that you mean your _time_" Tony said with certainty.

Stan's eyes narrowed as he quickly stood up. He suddenly looked very angry and violent. Both Eva and Pepper looked thoroughly confused while Davy was still getting over the fact that the Tony Stark was in the room and he had gotten his signature.

"So Steve, this is where you've been hiding? No wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find you. They'd never think to look here. Why are you here anyway" Tony continued.

Stan stayed silent but didn't back down. Tony stood smugly, he knew he'd pushed Stan's buttons. He used to love doing this and he still did. Messing with Stan was always fun.

"Stan, what is he talking about? Why is he calling you Steve" Eva asked as she put her hand on Stan's shoulder.

She knew how much damage Stan could do when he was angry and as much of a jerk as Tony was, she knew that no one deserved to have a half dozen broken ribs. She had no clue what was going on but whatever it was, Tony had really annoyed Stan. She had never seen the usually calm Stan this riled up.

"You mean you don't recognize him from TV? His real name is Steve Rogers though you may know him better as Captain America" Tony stated.

Eva gasped and took a step back while Pepper's eyes widened. Captain America had disappeared without a trace right after the battle with Loki ended. Everyone thought he was dead. It wasn't the fact that she knew a superhero and didn't know it that startled her. It was the fact that Steve/Stan lied to her for three years. Stan had been one of best customers and closest friends for years, she trusted him completely and she usually wasn't one to trust anyone.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been looking everywhere for you" Pepper informed Steve.

He laughed coldly. "Like I didn't know that. I wanted to get away from those people. All they do is throw around fancy phrases and advanced electronics and expect me to understand. They forget how different today is from when I was younger. I came here because it didn't make a difference how much I knew about all these advanced things. They don't have those impossible phones here nor do they have those talking computers or the vicious futuristic weapons" Steve spat bitterly.

Steve liked to stop evil but all of the advancements S.H.I.E.L.D. had were beyond him. He felt like someone had thrown him into a lake with no exit and he was drowning slowly and painfully. When he passed by this town, it was more like his old home. Sure it wasn't as clean but it made as much sense.

He did feel bad that he hadn't told Eva but it was for her safety. He knew that if they found him, they'd eventually find out about her. She probably wouldn't understand how incredibly dangerous it was to be stronger than the super-soldier. He wondered how she'd gotten that strong, it wasn't humanly possible.

He knew she was hiding a secret from him but he was guessing that she was accidentally the subject of an experiment similar to the one he underwent. It explained why she went under the radar and was yet another reason why S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find out about her. This, of course, was a guess, but he thought it was probably very accurate.

"Well, you're going to have to come with me. Fury needs to know-" Tony started before the jingling of the door stopped him.

"Fury needs to know what" a voice asked as they all turned around.

******* Somewhere Underground in Asgard*******

Thor went down the stairs to go see his brother. He was glad he'd gotten Loki to talk last time, it was one step in the right direction. However, as he reached the bottom, Thor noticed that something was wrong. The guard wasn't there and the door was missing as well.

He walked closer and noticed the guard on the floor. He glanced into the cell, it was empty, Loki had escaped. He couldn't believe Loki had escaped but his main question was how. This cell was impossible to escape.

He stormed up the stairs, Mjolnir cackling with lighting at his waist. He literally flew to the Bifrost and approached Heimdall.

"He is gone" Thor stated angrily.

"Yes" Heimdall replied calmly before adding, "Do you wish to know where, your Highness?"

"Yes, now where might he be" Thor asked loudly, anger still filling his voice.

"Earth."

"Then that is where I shall go."

*******The White House, Washington D.C.*******

As Loki looked around, he noticed that he was in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. He couldn't help but feel bad for Lin, she had spent several hundred years with the annoying humans. He also knew that he was fortunate that she was on earth, it meant that she would be easy to find. He knew that everyone's faces were in a computer if you looked in the right one.

Luckily, he was on top of the right building. He saw the astounded guards staring at him. Loki immediately got to work and put them under his spell. They then guided him to a room with an advanced computer system.

"Who do you wish to find" one of the three guards asked, his eyes glowing blue.

"Her name is Lin" Loki stated.

"As in Linda?"

"No but search for that, she is probably under an alias. She is probably also marked as exceptional in someway."

The guard began typing into the computer and a few seconds a name appeared on the screen, 'Linda Starling'. It said she was an honors student on a full scholarship at a local college. Loki wasn't surprised by this, Lin was incredibly intelligent. He was surprised she made her alias so obvious, she added 'da' to the end of her name and said her last name was _Star_ling, suggesting she was from a place in the stars.

Then again, she probably never thought someone would come looking for her. It was also an easy to remember alias. Loki looked at her address and then told the guards to take him there. It wasn't too far away, it was just a few hours drive. Loki wasn't very happy about returning to his place of defeat though. He never liked New York City to begin with.

*******New York City*******

Linda drove into the city. She hadn't been here in a year and she was really beginning to miss it. She took in her surroundings as Darcy continued to read her book, she was silent the entire ride. Linda was a little worried by Darcy's silence but eventually passed it off as nerves. After all, she barely ever saw her dad.

Darcy was loathing every mile they came closer to New York City. She _did not_ want to see her dad again. The only reason she was here was because her mother insisted. She was surprised at the pressure her mother put on her for her to visit her father. It was hard to believe, especially since her mother hated her father even more than she did, which was saying a lot.

"So where do I drive to" Linda asked.

Darcy put her face in her hands before mumbling, "Stark Towers."

Linda nearly had a heart attack and stomped on the brakes. "Your dad is Tony Stark" she asked in disbelief.

"No, thank goodness for that, Tony is a jerk. My dad is a close friend of his. He's going to pick me up there" Darcy replied.

"How is your dad friends with _the_ Tony Stark" Linda asked as she stepped on the accelerator again.

"I truly do not know" Darcy sighed.

Darcy never liked her father and she disliked Tony Stark even more. She had met Mr. Stark once a couple years ago and quickly realized how much a jerk he was. Stark didn't like her much more though. He once locked her in her room so she couldn't stop the party he was going to start downstairs, which her dad kept telling him not to do.

Her father was out that night and the only thing stopping him was the weak, useless, law-abiding Darcy. However, he did not know that Darcy knew how to pick a lock. So when he locked her in her room, she grabbed her hairpin and opened the door. She then went to the power room and hacked into Tony's servers. When the climax of the party came up, she shut off all of the power.

She thought it was quite funny the ways the drunk adults tried to get out, one smashed a window and more than a dozen ran into walls. On the other hand, Tony was not happy that she crashed his party. He never saw her do anything, when he went to check on her, her door was locked and she was in there, but he knew she did it, there was no one else in the building sober enough to.

"Here we are" Linda stated as she pulled up to the huge tower.

Darcy reluctantly exited the car and grabbed her bags. Linda waved as she drove off and Darcy waved hesitantly back. After she was gone, Darcy turned to face the tower. She slowly strolled inside.

"Hello again Darcy! Your father will be here shortly" JARVIS stated cheerily.

Darcy placed her bags onto one couch and plopped onto the other. She would've been lying if she said she was excited.

**Authors Note:**

**/***Steve Rogers returns! Woohoo! The Avengers are going to need a levelheaded leader if they want to win the oncoming battles. He's one of my favorite Avengers, so it's been killing me to have him missing for three chapters. If I had wanted to build up the suspense, I could've revealed his identity in a few chapters but I couldn't keep a secret that big for that long. There's enough secrets in the story without that one anyway.

And now Thor's on Earth and Loki is after Linda, who is Lin. It's also known that the chatty normal Darcy isn't so normal, she has criminal skills and knows Tony. So some of our supposedly normal characters in fact aren't normal at all. Oh well, at least we still have Eva and Davy. Besides, Darcy is a lot more fun this way.

Anyway, Clint, Natasha, and Banner will be back soon, so don't even begin to worry about them. Their stories just would be incredibly boring filler parts if I were to put them here. So things are beginning to make sense now. But this is the beginning of seeing how the random pieces of the story fit together, more is still to come. ***/**


	5. Betrayals

**Chapter 5: Betrayals**

******* At the Coffee Shop in Cincinnati*******

"Well, you're going to have to come with me. Fury needs to know-" Tony started before the jingling of the door stopped him.

"Fury needs to know what" a voice asked as they turned around.

Tony sighed in relief as he saw who it was. Standing at the door, guns pointed at their faces, was Natasha Romanoff. She had dropped by Stark Tower's Cincinnati a few minutes earlier only for JARVIS to tell her Tony and Pepper were out in the hood. Her first thought when she heard this was, _those idiots! Do they have a death wish?_

She wasn't as angry as time passed. It was mostly because she continuously convinced herself that Tony had a reason, was safe, and if he wasn't, she would come to the rescue. As she came up to the coffee shop she traced him to, she noticed it was more of a business trip, though what business he had there she would never know.

A split second decision left her hiding across the street, waiting for Tony and Pepper to exit the shop in order to talk to them. She pulled out her infrared vision goggles to see what was going on. By the looks of it, Pepper gave the waitress something and then Tony annoyed the customer, nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as she was about to put away the goggles, she noticed something. There was something in the little boy's pocket that wasn't supposed to be there. She knew the shape and heat signature all too well. The little boy had a gun in his pocket. Whether this was an assassination or not, she had to warn Tony before Fury blamed her for his death.

She stalked up to the shop and opened the door to hear Tony talking about telling Fury something. Her thoughts first began to wonder what Tony could possibly have to say about them to Nick Fury but she forced herself to focus once more, they were all in danger.

"Fury needs to know I've found Steve" Tony Stark stated, causing Natasha to holster her guns in surprise.

She was ecstatic, Steve had always been an honorable leader that respected her. She was deeply saddened by his disappearance, it left Tony in charge. All Tony did was joke around about her and Hawkeye. He also gave himself all of the interesting jobs, leaving her with garbage or babysitting duty.

"Well, where is he" Natasha asked, trying to mask her excitement.

"Right there" Tony said as he pointed at the customer. Upon further examination, she noticed that he did indeed look just like Steve Rogers.

"It's an honor to see you again, Captain" Natasha said to Steve.

"It may be an honor to you but to me, I know there is no way to continue hiding with you two treading in my territory" Steve replied coldly.

Steve looked genuinely angered. Natasha was a bit distracted by this but not distracted enough not to notice the little boy with the gun slowly backing away from the group toward the staircase. She glanced around the room and only the waitress seemed to notice. In fact, the waitress seemed to be egging him on to escape.

"Stop right there" she said to the boy, pointing her guns at him.

His eyes widened like a deer in the headlights and then he turned and bolted. She tried to shoot him but then the waitress chased after him. Natasha ran after them, up the stairs. She would've reached them but then the staircase exploded, forcing her back down and onto the floor by the door.

The windows had shattered and Tony and Pepper were leaning groggily against his car. Steve was standing where he had been previously and staring in surprise at the staircase, he'd never expected that. He had no clue what just happened but he was fairly sure that Eva wouldn't explode her own restaurant. He immediately suspected that Natasha threw a grenade but the aftershock of the explosion was too large for that.

When he regained his senses, he walked outside to see Natasha helping Tony and Pepper. Tony stood and pressed a button in his car. Then Steve blinked and saw Tony in his Iron Man suit. He wondered why but then he put two and two together to conclude that Tony had no idea that Eva was as much a victim as he in that explosion and that Tony was about to blow her up.

"What do think you are doing" Steve demanded.

"Chasing the criminals, duh" Tony retorted as if it were painfully obvious.

"They aren't criminals. If anything, we should be looking in the debris for them so we can get them to a hospital. They'll be hurt" Steve stated.

"They are fine" Natasha declared.

"How do you know that" Steve demanded.

Steve was irked by his insensitive friends. They were practically indestructible but Eva and Davy were only human, they were probably severely injured from the explosion. His first instinct was to go searching for them but first he wanted to know why they distrusted his them so much.

"Because of that" Natasha said as she pointed to a retreating car.

It was a sleek black convertible with heavily tinted windows. It was speeding down the road toward the highway. It was too late to pursue the car, it was too fast. In fact, it seemed to be reaching speeds up to 110 miles an hour.

"That can't be her. She doesn't own a car nor could she ever afford that" Steve replied.

"Well, can you at least explain why the little boy was armed" Natasha demanded.

"Davy was not armed, he doesn't even know how to fire a weapon."

"I saw the gun through my infrared goggles. That's why I came in. I thought he was going to kill you guys" Natasha practically yelled.

"Davy would never hurt me nor would he even dream of harming Eva if that's what you're aiming at. Davy was an orphan on the streets three years ago when Eva took him in. At that point, he was starving to death. Eva saved him. That little boy's life was ruined by guns so why would he wield one?"

"Because he's in a gang!"

"He is not in a gang."

"How can you be so sure? Fury wants us to hunt down a gang called the Aliens that sets up explosions very similar to that. Their cars are also nearly identical. Can you deny that there is something odd about that duo? I think they're leaders, and if not then they are at least agents" Natasha insisted.

Even as she said it, she knew the words were true. She had read the file about them and the events that just occurred were too similar to that of the Aliens. She didn't know what Steve knew about them though. She had no clue how peaceful they actually were and how outlandish her suggestion really was.

However, Steve saw the truth in her words. He knew that Eva was strong and being in a dangerous gang would give her a reason to be. He wished it weren't so but the only way he knew she could be proved wrong was if they found Eva and Davy in the debris. Now more than ever he wished he wasn't an Avenger. As an Avenger, he knew he was obliged to help the others find Eva and Davy. He knew if he joined again, he would see her again and maybe stop the others from killing her the second they saw her, which was the only bright side of turning against his best friend.

*******Stark Towers, New York*******

Thor landed precisely where he meant to. He knew that if Loki was on Earth, he would need the other Avengers help. That's why he landed here, the chances of someone from the Avengers Initiative being here was more likely than anywhere else.

After scanning the roof for a half-second, he saw the door he was looking for and walked to it. It led to a rather dull staircase that went down the tower. It took him mere seconds to jump down to the level with the meeting rooms. When he opened the door, he expected to see Tony or at least Pepper.

Instead he saw Nick Fury talking quickly with JARVIS at a clear glass table. He appeared worried about something and JARVIS's tone suggested that she was trying to comfort him. He knew he should be more sensitive and give them some time but logic told him that recapturing Loki was more important than idle chat.

"Nick Fury, I seem to have a slight problem" Thor stated as he walked up to the table.

Fury turned to face Thor and immediately regained his composure. It was okay to show weakness to a computer sworn to privacy but not the king of another planet. Thor pushed any last curiosity behind and stood stock still, waiting for Fury's reply.

Fury hadn't expected to see Thor for another several years. He knew that the only reason that Thor would return was if there was a problem to Earth that he couldn't stop. So basically, Thor would only return when times were going to get rather nasty.

"What appears to be your issue" Fury asked, genuinely concerned.

"Loki has escaped and is on Earth." With that, Fury's eyes widened in surprise.

*******A Few Floors Below Them*******

"Jarvis, what is taking my dad _soooo_ long" Darcy complained as she tapped her foot impatiently.

About an hour earlier, JARVIS had informed her that her father would join her downstairs in a few minutes. Those minutes had stretched into hours and she considered leaving Stark Towers all together.

"Your father is busy speaking with another guest" JARVIS replied calmly.

"Where" Darcy demanded as she stood.

"He is on the third floor."

"Make sure no one steals my bags" Darcy stated as she stalked over to the staircase.

She jogged up the stairs and threw open the door. She found herself in the meeting rooms. She saw her dad talking to a buff blonde guy but didn't care. She was angry enough to explode.

Her dad usually would suggest they spend time together. She would say no but then both of her parents would team up and talk her into it. She would reluctantly agree and arrive to the meeting spot only for her father to not show or to come many hours late. She'd had enough of that. After almost twenty years, she thought he'd have learned not to be late. She was sick of him doing this. She always respected him but he never respected her enough to even warn her that he was late.

She shoved the door to the room open and her father looked at her in surprise. She was supposed to be downstairs waiting.

"Why aren't you downstairs" her father asked the second door opened.

"I was going to ask you the same thing" she spat, venom in her voice, "You said you'd be downstairs an hour ago! Don't even begin to defend yourself, you're always late! And sometimes you don't even have the decency to show up! I try to be patient with you but it's pointless!

"You do not respect me the least bit. The three out of fifty times you've actually shown up, you treat me like a little kid. New flash, _I'm not a little kid anymore_! Why do you even bother to set up these meetings if it's obvious that you don't like to show up. It was never my idea" she finished, practically yelling at this point.

She was relieved she finally got her pent up anger out. This was the last time she would ever even try to communicate with her father. As of now, he was dead to her.

"Thor, I don't believe you've met my daughter, Darcy" Nick Fury stated

*******On a Road West*******

"So how much longer until we reach Stark Tower? I want to hear what went down when Natasha retrieved Tony" Bruce said as he bounced in his seat like a little boy.

Bruce and Clint had been on the road for a little over two hours at this point. They were both yearning for the time to come when the trip was over at this point. They could see the New York skyline in the distance but once they got to the city, navigation would be considerably harder.

"There should be about an hour left" Clint stated as he looked at the GPS.

An hour later, they could both see the end of the road, literally, Stark Towers was a block away. The anticipation was at the climax, they couldn't wait to get out of the car and go for a run. However, fate had a different thought.

It was at that moment that Loki landed on the black car in front of them. The car came to an abrupt stop and Clint stomped on the breaks. He heard a few horns behind him but by then, he'd blocked all noises out. He went for his bow and quiver, which was lying on the backseat.

When he got out, he strung his bow like he had a hundred times and then he loaded it, aiming it directly at Loki's face. He wanted to release the arrow then and there, just to make Loki pay for enslaving him three years ago, but he kept his arm steady. For all he knew, Loki was a good person now. It was very unlikely but still the slightest bit possible.

Loki told the person in the car in front of him to get out but the person refused. He then explained to the red-haired girl driving the car who he was and why she should listen. The girl stuck her head out of the window and glared at him.

"You think I care about who you are? I'm only here to give Darcy the textbook she forgot" the girl shouted at him before bringing her head back in and stomping on the gas, nearly running him over.

"Lin, you will listen to me whether you like it or not. You just have to decide whether you want it to happen the easy way or the hard way" Loki yelled at her.

She had parked her car at Stark Tower at that point. She put the textbook right inside the door and then returned outside. She crossed her arms and looked Loki directly in the eyes.

"Let's go with the hard way because it'll only be hard for you. If you think I'm an easy target, you are horribly mistaken" the girl stated darkly as she walked toward her car.

Loki was beginning to get annoyed by Lin. She had never been this feisty before. Then he remembered she had been on her own for many hundred years, he couldn't expect anything different. Despite the fact that she was his sister, he was already sick of the chase, he wanted Asgard already.

Instead of remaining patient, he pointed his staff at her and aimed at her head. The minute the magic was released from his staff, she turned and saw it. By ducking and then rolling, she expertly avoided it. When she stood from the roll, there was a small gun in her hands. She took no hesitation to shoot him in the foot.

In three seconds flat, she shot his foot and got into her car, shortly thereafter speeding away. Clint and Bruce both watched the exchange as spectators, too stunned to act. They never expected to see Loki again. They also never expected to see a civilian take on Loki and win.

"Do you think that has something to do with why we were called back" Bruce asked.

"It does now" Clint replied,

** Authors Note:**

** /***So I lied last chapter when I called Eva and Davy normal. I couldn't spoil it for you though! Anyway, we also get to see Loki's first attack in search of Lin. Any ideas why he's so desperate to find her? He's obviously hiding _something_. Almost everyone is at this point if you haven't noticed.

Darcy's dad is also Nick Fury, though she isn't too happy about it apparently. I wouldn't be too if I were her, he sets up those meetings and doesn't bother to show up. How incredibly rude? Sadly, she can't see through his eyes. If she could, she would see how worried he is about her and how nervous he is when he goes to meet up with her. He's the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. so he naturally wouldn't be very good with kids. Just thought I should clear that up so you don't go hating on Nick Fury. ***/**


	6. Reunited

**Chapter 6: Reunited**

*******Stark Towers Cincinnati*******

Steve sat on the couch. He was glaring at Tony, who had his phone in his hand and was dialing Fury. Pepper was upstairs, still unconscious from the explosion. After Natasha convinced him that Eva was an evil gang leader, they headed back to Tony's skyscraper. Natasha, Tony, and Steve were currently in the living room. Natasha was cleaning her guns, while Tony was waiting for Fury pick up the phone, and Steve was sitting, waiting, and staring.

Steve was staring at the thin bracelet on his wrist. It was a thin woven bracelet with a dull bead. The bead had a yin-yang sign on it. It was also a gift from Eva. She had given it to him a year ago when he nearly beat the people robbing her restaurant to a pulp. It had been a normal night at her restaurant and he was picking up some dessert.

She was handing him his Cream Cheese Danish when two people garbed in black and wearing ski masks came in. One pointed a gun at her head and the other demanded all the money from her cash register. Steve jumped into action and knocked out the one demanding money almost instantaneously. The other one, however, put up a fight.

It wasn't much of a fight but it gave Steve the opportunity to start punching him. Only, he didn't know when to stop. Luckily, Eva grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away just long enough for him to see that he had severely disfigured the man's bleeding face. He was horrified at what he had done and wanted to run back to his apartment in shame.

Eva wouldn't let him, instead she made him look her in the eye. She explained that he had to remember that he was human and so were his enemies. She then took off that very same bracelet and handed it to him.

"I'm not sure how other people view the yin yang sign but here's what I want you to remember about it. See that little black dot? It represents that all good has a bit of evil in it. Now look at the little white dot. It shows that even evil has a potential for good" she began. "Next time you're in a fight, remember this because you don't want to have a white dot. That's what happens when you stop respecting humanity, you become evil, even if it is in the name of good. Taking a life for no reason is never good.

"I also want you to remember the white dot because it shows that even your enemy can become good. Don't take this the wrong way and assume that they always will but remember that they deserve a second chance too."

Since that day, he always wore the bracelet. He didn't want to become like the Red Skull, and this reminded to show mercy. He thought she'd been wise to know that and it caused him to understand why she gave Davy a chance even though he was a known thief.

Now that he thought about it, he had no clue where she might've learned that or why she would tell him that. He at first understood it to roughly translate as, "I've made some mistakes and let my thirst for revenge and strength get the better of me. I regret it. Don't make my mistakes." But now that made little sense unless she was trying to say she knew she was evil but she had a bit of good. But why would she tell that to him to make him feel better?

He knew she was smart enough to see he was good, which made her message even more cryptic.

"He picked up" Tony squealed, forcing Steve out of his reverie.

"Hello, Tony. This really isn't a good time" Fury stated glumly, Tony had put the phone on speaker.

"We have great news, we found Steve" Natasha replied.

"Truly, I don't think even that could cheer him up" Thor stated, apparently Fury put his phone on speaker too.

"What are you doing here anyway" Steve asked Thor.

"Loki escaped and came here. I have come to recapture him" Thor replied.

"You came here to _recapture_ him? What. A. Joke. He just attacked outside and_ you_ did nothing" a new voice sneered.

"He WHAT" Thor roared as he voice got farther away, presumably to go capture Loki.

"Who's that with you" Natasha asked.

"He never told you about me. Why am I not surprised? I'm Darcy, his daughter" the person stated with a dark laugh.

"Yes and since Loki's back, I need you to guard her for me, Natasha. I can't risk Loki finding out about her and hurting her" Fury stated.

"You're getting me a babysitter?! I am not five years old! I do_ not_ need a babysitter, I can take care of myself" Darcy shouted at Fury.

Natasha rolled her eyes, this was typical of teenagers. They thought they could take care of themselves when they really need their parents help now more than ever. She quickly agreed to the arrangement, it would also be nice to stay away from Tony. She also thought it would be refreshing to talk with someone about something different than assassinations and fights.

"I don't think she needs protection. She'll be fine, no one knows about her and she's your daughter. Do you really think that _your_ daughter will be helpless in a battle? She has _your_ blood in her veins, she'll be itching to lead us into battle. It would torture her by putting her in the sidelines" Steve stated.

He knew what it was like to be brushed away as weak when you had so much potential. He was lucky that Dr. Erskine saw what he was capable of but Darcy had no one to support her. He didn't know her, in fact, he'd never heard of her until a few minutes ago, but he could tell she was a fighter from the way she talked. She didn't back down, she fought.

Most people would dismiss that as stubbornness but he saw it as determination, which was an important skill in battle. He knew a team would be ineffective if it had no determination. The way he saw it, the more determined you were, the more likely you are to succeed.

That's why he was defending Darcy. He'd already established a certain amount of respect for her because she fought for what she believed in. It was an invaluable quality that he noticed many people lacked in modern society.

"See, even strangers agree with me" Darcy stated triumphantly.

"We will discuss this later. Until then, I expect to see you three at Stark Tower in New York soon. Head over here immediately. We will need back up if we are to defeat Loki" Fury stated.

"What about the Aliens" Natasha asked, reminding him about the gang who was causing a lot of trouble recently.

"Don't worry, we'll handle them too" Fury stated before hanging up the phone.

*******Stark Tower New York*******

Darcy smiled as her dad hung up the phone. She knew that Natasha was the woman on the phone and she knew that one of the men talking was Tony Stark, she'd heard his voice millions of times before. However, she had no clue who the person who defended her was.

It was oddly gratifying to hear a complete stranger stick up for her. No one ever had her back when she was in a verbal battle except Linda, who wasn't good with words not found in an essay. She knew she could fight and help them against Loki and the Aliens but they didn't.

Her father only had to look in her dorm room to see how well she could fight. She had dozens of tai kwon do and karate trophies. Not to mention several women's wrestling and triathlon trophies as well. Most were first place but she had one second place triathlon trophy from ten years ago. Though she didn't look the part, she was one of the strongest and most athletic people in America. She had consecutively won each of these trophies since the fourth grade and had just won another karate award a few weeks earlier.

She had full knowledge of her abilities but her father knew nothing. He knew she had good grades and was in honor classes but the trophies were not on her transcripts. She had dreamed of the day when she could use her abilities for something more than a competition. It had always been her dream to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and fight against evil.

As long as her father stayed ignorant, she would be stuck on the path of a lawyer. Which was okay with her, she loved law school, but she wanted to be an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. much more. She'd even experimented with some prototypes of machinery that could help them.

"Steve won't win this battle. You are going to stay away from Loki and the Aliens with Natasha" Fury stated to her as he patted his phone, trying to calm himself.

"Steve? Steve Rogers? You're saying that Steve Rogers, AKA_ Captain America_, believes in me but my own father doesn't? What kind of messed up world is this" Darcy spat.

"I don't have time for this. I need to go see what the deal outside was" Nick stated as he pushed past her and exited the room.

"Oh, so now you care that Loki attacked Linda" she mumbled as she sat down at the desk in the corner of the room.

She stretched back in the chair, stuck her feet on the table, and then began hacking into the computer system for information about Loki. No one knew of her excellent computer hacking skills. Of course, it was kind of a secret. She'd only ever used it to go into American Idol's servers and see who won but she knew she was capable of getting into these systems. Especially since she knew her dad set up the system and she knows how he thinks.

She'd dropped her usually parka with Uggs attire for a leather jacket and combat boots. She had nothing against her old clothes but they were really impractical for riding a motorcycle. A few years ago, her mom got her a motorcycle for her birthday but she didn't bring it with her to the University. Luckily, her mother agreed to drop it off at Stark Tower tomorrow. She couldn't wait.

"And I'm in" she whispered as the servers began spilling out information, "Booyah!"

*******On a Highway That Goes East*******

Eva sat in her car and was driving. Beside her, sitting shotgun, was Davy. The entire ride had been deathly quiet. Eva was trying to contain her anger while Davy was afraid of causing that anger to explode. He looked down at his hands, which were glowing red, in shame.

He was cursed, he knew it. Eva tried to help him after his parents abandoned him but all he did was ruin her life. All because of his stupid powers. He knew he would be able to contain them as he got older but sometimes he doubted that. When he felt extreme emotions, such as the fear he felt a few hours earlier with Natasha's gun in his face, his powers went berserk.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault" Davy eventually sighed.

Eva glanced toward him and saw his deflated expression. Her anger immediately melted away at the sight of it. "No, it's my fault. Things were too good to be true. As my father once told me, 'All good things must come to an end'. I'm afraid that was the end of my life in Cincinnati, it was bound to happen sooner or later" Eva began, trying to cheer Davy up. "Besides, you've become really powerful. That's a good thing, we need good defense."

"Who needs my powers for defense when we have this car" Davy replied as he looked at the dozens of buttons on the console.

He saw buttons such as 'Eject Backseat', 'Mavericks', 'Fly Mode', 'Submarine Mode', and his personal favorite, 'Jellybeans'. He'd been in the car once before, when Eva had to handle something in Texas. He had no clue what she did, he was sitting in the car eating jellybeans and watching Toy Story the entire time.

"Davy, your laser-hands are nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I feel that we are going to need them very soon" Eva replied, her anger nothing but a memory now.

This little boy was her weakness. She saw too much of herself in him, despite how different he was. She knew shouldn't become soft but after taking care of the boy for years, she couldn't help but feel protective of him.

**Authors Note:**

**/*** Now everyone knows Steve is back (insert cheering and applause here)! We also learn that Darcy is definitely no innocent little girl, *sigh* if only Nick Fury knew that. Imagine how much better their lives would be if they could read each others minds. There certainly wouldn't be as many arguments or harsh feelings. Eva and Davy are also even more suspicious then ever.

I know this chapter is a bit short but that's because I split this chapter it into two parts (6 and 7). ***/**


	7. Davy's Story

**Chapter 7: Davy's Story**

**Authors Note:**

**/*** This is just an background story chapter so don't forget to read Chapter 6: Reunited. This half-chapter is short and a bit irrelevant but I thought it was interesting. If you are feeling lazy then you can skip this it and not miss much. As I said, it's a background story so it won't effect the current plot line because it already happened. It's not really a chapter but I'm a bit OCD so naming it something other than 7 would throw the numbers off and annoy me. Anyways... without further ado, here's Davy's story.***/**

Davy has a superpower, his laser hands. He doesn't particularly like having it, it ruined his life. Davy was born to a rich family that had everything. He was a good little boy and had good morals. His grades were great and everyone couldn't fathom a reason to hate him.

When he turned five, this all changed. His laser hands appeared and he nearly burned down his entire house. His parents blamed the fire on him and took no pity on the facts that it was A.) his birthday B.) he was their only child C.) it was his first day with the powers and D.) he had no where else to go. They kicked him out of the house and left him on the streets.

He was a good honest little boy at this time so he cautiously begged people for food and money, he never even considered stealing. After a while, he lost a lot of weight until the point where he was unhealthily thin. He was about to die when a teenager by the name of Stone took him in. Stone was by no standards good or honest or trustworthy. He was _the_ criminal, he mugged, robbed, killed, and blackmailed people.

The minute Stone saw Davy accidentally shoot his lasers at someone in self defense, he began to plan. He wanted to turn Davy into his ruthless assassin. Problem was, Davy was an innocent boy with bad luck, he was not ruthless or an assassin…yet. Stone knew Davy would become too weak to be on his own soon so he bided his time until he was. It was then that Stone took Davy in and began to take care of him.

So when Davy finally got better, he felt the need to thank Stone for saving him. His thankfulness was his biggest mistake. Stone took advantage of this and made Davy his servant. He trained him to kill and steal and then forced him to do so.

Davy soon lost his clean record, he became a lying thief and a murderer. He was Stone's biggest success, mostly because he was who people least expected to attack them and yet Davy did it so effectively and ruthlessly. At this point, Stone was Davy's only way to survive. If he left, people would take revenge on him and kill him. With Stone at his side, he was assured protection and that he wouldn't go hungry again.

Then one day when they were in Cincinnati, he and Stone were going to attack a local coffee shop late at night for food and money. However, this was the night everything changed. They got in the coffee shop easily, they didn't set of an alarm or make any noise. However, it was much harder to fool Eva than an alarm.

When they tried to leave, Eva was at the door. Stone had superpowers, he could turn to stone (hence his street name, Stone). So, he turned to stone and attacked Eva. He couldn't seem to hit Eva, she would easily duck out of his way. He started to say how cowardly she was to not hit him, which was the biggest mistake he ever made.

When she hit back, she cracked the stone. Two hits later he was shards on the floor. Davy had been watching all of this in fear, this was supposed to be an easy hit. An in-and-out mission. No one was supposed to know they were there at all and yet here he was standing on death row, knowing he was next.

Luckily for Davy, Eva was not unreasonable. Stone had been the one who offended her, fought her, and taken her money, Davy had been at his side, not doing anything. Eva did not attack him, instead she gave him some tea and asked him to sit down and tell her the story of how he got there. It took the rest of the night and he didn't leave anything out but when he finished, he expected to be destroyed just as Stone was.

However, Eva asked him if he wanted a life off the streets. He said that he did but knew it was impossible at this point, he had too many enemies. She then asked if he knew how to clean dishes. He was confused but then said he did.

"Then do you want to stay with me" Eva asked. "The only requirement is that you have to bus the tables."

Davy was surprised but quickly agreed.

**Authors Note:**

**/*** And that is how Davy met Eva. That's also how he became a criminal. He always had good intentions but was really unfortunate. Really, really unfortunate. Extremely unfortunate. I just thought you might want to know because it's interesting and it explains his reluctance to use his powers. It will also help you to understand his actions in upcoming chapters. Anyway...the next chapter will be chapter 7, not 6.6 or anything crazy like that ;) ***/**


	8. New Information

**Chapter 8: New Information**

*******Outside Stark Tower New York*******

"What is going on" Thor asked as he exited the skyscraper to see Bruce and Clint.

He hoped that Loki's attack hadn't been too destructive. By now Loki was gone but Thor saw some blood on the street and assumed that Loki had gotten hurt. He worried about his brother for a minute but then remembered what Loki did the last time he was on Earth. He could only hope that Loki's plans weren't as rash this time and that his injury made him easier to find.

"Well, Loki attacked the girl in the car in front of us. Her name is Linda Starling, she's one of my brightest students. She's a good kid, I have no idea why he would deliberately attack her or why she's even here to begin with" Bruce replied.

"That is rather mind boggling. Loki does not attack unless he has a reason" Thor agreed.

"I think he knew her personally, he called her Lin" Clint added.

With that, Thor began to choke, he felt as if he'd been hit by his own hammer. Gasping for air, he struggled to stay on his feet. He fell to his knees and eventually regained his breath. He could hardly believe what he'd heard. He knew how desperate Loki was now, turning to an unstable Asgardian. He also knew that unless they stopped him soon, they'd all be as good as dead.

"So this means something to you" Clint asked as Thor stood up.

"Yes, it means that Loki has a rather effective plan that we must stop at all costs" Thor stated severely.

"What exactly do you mean" Fury asked as he walked up to their group.

He stood in front of Thor expectantly. Thor knew he couldn't hide the secret any longer. It was pointless, he would have to lie to them keep the secret and he was not one to lie.

"Lin is an Asgardian. She left many hundred years ago but no one knows where she went. If Loki was searching for her here, then he must have located her" Thor replied slowly.

"So? We have you, two Asgardians should be easy to fight" Clint pointed out.

"Loki is not recruiting her to help fight us. There is a much simpler solution" Thor stated.

"Which is…" Fury asked, signaling for him to continue speaking.

"She is my sister but she is my older sister as well. This means that all she has to do is go to Asgard and the throne is hers by right since she is the eldest" Thor explained.

"Why is Loki turning to her, doesn't she know not to trust him" Bruce asked.

"As I said, she hasn't been to Asgard in many centuries. She most likely has no clue of what he has become. She will remember him as the little boy she trained in combat many years ago, she'll believe anything he says and do anything for him" Thor replied.

Thor couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of this situation earlier. When she first left, it had occurred to him she would come back but he always assumed that it would be before his coronation. Now he had grown attached to ruling Asgard, he didn't want to give it up to someone who hadn't been there in a long time.

However, he knew that Loki had always been her favorite to train. She trained Thor as well but he eventually found it offensive he had to fight his own sister and went to find another teacher. He knew she was a little offended by that but she still loved him anyway.

Loki, on the other hand, had been eager for these bonding times. She taught him how to fight with nearly every weapon and even found him the scepter that he used today. She'd go out of her way every day to ensure Loki was up to standard with his battle skills.

Eventually Thor found himself spending less and less time with his sister. Sometimes he would miss her but then he found new friends to hang out with. She became obsolete and he forgot why he hung out with her to begin with. Their attitudes toward each other became chilly and eventually got to the point where they couldn't be in the same room without something exploding.

Sometimes he thought that that's why she left but then he would dismiss that as stupid. It had been a build up of things. He wasn't entirely sure what all of those things were but he knew it wasn't their quarrelling that sent her over the top. He knew it would be why she hates him but it was a small thing compared to how much she hated other royal duties.

"So basically, if Loki finds her first, we're all doomed" Bruce summarized.

"Yes, more so than you think. Believe me, if they team up, the end of both worlds will come" Thor replied truthfully. He knew this day would come but he could only hope it didn't end the way he saw it ending.

*******In Stark Tower, New York*******

Darcy finished up looking through the database and shut down the computer. She now knew exactly what happened with Loki three years ago, not the media's garbled up version. She already knew the secret identities of the heroes, her father told her many years ago.

She got up from the desk and took the elevator to the basement. When the doors opened, she saw the extraordinarily messy lab of Tony Stark. It had three tables covered in beakers filled with glowing chemicals, and random parts to the Iron Man suits. Despite knowing how much Tony hated people being his lab, she entered anyway.

The bright white lights blinded her for a second but she continued in. She had a mission she knew she needed to complete before her dad came looking for her. Noticing the scrap metal bin, she strolled over to it and began rummaging through it.

She had a brilliant idea in her head. She'd had the idea for weeks but had only been able to create a prototype. If she created it as powerful as she wanted it, it would attract unwanted attention. But here, she could work in peace with all of the tools she needed. She had to do it in secret so no one stole her recipe for it and this was as quiet and secret a place as she would get.

*******On Top of a Random Building in New York*******

Loki rubbed his foot in pain. He couldn't help but wonder what Lin had gone through to make her go soft and unreasonable. He remembered how close they used to be so theoretically she would welcome him with open arms and not a bullet to the foot. He also knew the old Lin would have completely annihilated her opponents, not just shoot them in the foot.

His first idea was that she had amnesia but he then remembered that Asgardians can't get brain injuries. Then the thought struck him that Thor turned her against him. He knew he had to find her fast and clear up the situation as soon as possible. She was not an enemy he wanted to have.

There was a reason he spent a lot of time with her when he was younger. It wasn't just because she was his sister and he enjoyed being around her, it was because it was a good idea to be on her good side. People who got on her bad side weren't as fortunate as Thor, they were expendable. So, as princess of the realm and heir to the throne, she would send them on necessary but lethal missions.

"What happened to her" Loki asked no one in particular.

Lin and Thor couldn't be in the same room when she was on Asgard. What did Thor say that made her no longer hate him?

*******In the Sewers Under New York City*******

"God, sometimes I hate my life" Linda stated to herself as she trudged through the disgusting, foul smelling, murky sewer water. It was dark so she'd nearly tripped over a pipe and fallen in twice.

After the run in with Loki, she realized that the government had found out about her. She couldn't risk them finding her so she ditched her car and was going to walk to her safe house. She knew she had to do what ever it takes to avoid their detection, now more than ever.

She was a very dangerous person who did not like to be messed with. If they ever found her, they'd find out just how dangerous she is. She had lived most of her life as a loner for a reason. She couldn't risk anyone getting close enough to her to discover her secret.

She couldn't trust the government either. She knew that they'd see her as a danger and arrest her. That was the last thing she needed at the moment. So she continued to walk through the sludge a little faster than before.

*******On a Highway East*******

Steve stared out the window angrily. Tony was driving and Natasha was sitting shotgun, leaving him in the back seat. His fragile life he'd built for himself had been destroyed in a matter of minutes. Everything he thought was true had been proven wrong and he was going toward the place he swore to never set foot in.

The only thing he was worried about now was making sure Eva didn't cause too much damage and that the Avengers don't damage her too much. He still wasn't too happy about discovering his best friend was his worst enemy but he was beginning to deal with it. After all, he couldn't change the past.

"I can't wait to meet Fury's daughter" Natasha stated excitedly, trying to overcome the awkward silence that had enveloped the car.

"She's no fun at all" Tony complained, sounding like a five year old. "She shut down one of my greatest parties."

"And suddenly the girl is my hero" Natasha joked as she elbowed Tony in the arm.

"Whatever you do, don't take your eyes off of her. She is a master of deception" Tony stated seriously.

"Um…okay then" Natasha replied, more confused than she cared to admit.

"I'm serious. She'll be there one second and gone the next."

"Sure." She didn't sound like she completely believed him but it was clear she didn't entirely disbelieve him.

"Well, we'd better hope she's a fighter. If she's anything like Fury, she won't like being left out. In that case, it'd be good if she has a way to defend herself" Steve stated.

He really didn't see what their problem with Darcy was, she didn't seem to be too bad. In fact, it seemed more likely that Tony would set Stark Tower on fire than her purposely doing something stupid.

*******In an Abandoned Warehouse Somewhere in New York***** **

"What have you been doing" a person garbed in black demanded, his name was Gorge. You couldn't see his face, he had a dark mask on.

Then again, you couldn't see any of their faces, most covered their faces in case the meeting was interrupted and they needed to escape. In that case, all they had to do was find a crowd, take off the mask or hood, and they were free, blending in with the flurry of people with no way of the pursuers to identify them.

He sat at a table with twelve others. The room was dimly lit and at the head of the table was the leader with her guard standing by her chair. He had addressed the question to the leader a little nervously. They all knew to fear her but he was curious to know what she's been doing.

"Trying to be normal. Unlike you guys, I can actually fit into a normal society" Eva replied to her group.

Unlike the other twelve members, she was a mortal, meaning that she led twelve exiled Asgardians. She had a very dangerous job indeed. This was why Davy was usually at her side. He was human as well but could protect her from them if they got out of hand, which happened quite often.

She hadn't always been the leader but when the previous leader died five years earlier, he appointed her as his replacement. The Asgardians were offended at first but then they learned why she was leading them.

Terry, god of arguments, had opposed her the most. He was constantly questioning her authority to rule. She asked him nicely to stop but he didn't. The next day, they all woke up and couldn't find Terry but he left behind his most prized possession, his golden ax. There was only one reason why he left his ax and that was if he was dead.

After that day, they all respected her and didn't question her. They were all scared out of their wits. They knew how hard it was to kill an Asgardian and yet this mortal had done it in one night without a scar for proof. That was incredibly terrifying for them.

There were a few other people that annoyed her as well. They disappeared just as Terry did, without a trace. She didn't attack unprovoked so everyone treaded very lightly when talking to her.

"So where do we hit next" Corona, goddess of alcohol, asked, slurring some of her words. She usually acted and sounded drunk even though she had never actually tasted alcohol in her life.

Her story was the most ironic of anyone at the table. She had protested against people drinking alcohol, trying to get it banned from Asgard, when she was named goddess of alcohol. Out of shame, she fled to Earth but still would not even consider coming within five feet of the beverages she was goddess of.

"I'm still researching the precise location but it will be a huge raid" Eva replied.

"What are we raiding" Godfrey, god of scribes and twin of Gorge, asked.

Godfrey, or as he preferred to be called, Frey, looked exactly like Gorge but acted completely different. While Gorge acted like a rebel leader and constantly questioned everything, Frey was a good soldier and did every thing he was told, no questions asked.

"You'll see soon. Until then, I expect you guys to be training. I will not accept weakness this time. If you trip and break a leg, I _will not_ go and fetch you" Eva stated darkly.

"I'll try my best" Torbid, god of flight, stated. Torbid was a tiny young-looking boy. When he was on land, he was extremely clumsy and on missions, Eva would often have to come get him because he broke a leg.

"Not you, Torbid. You'll stay here. I want to teach you to fight since you obviously need the practice. Until I think you are proficient, you won't go on any missions" Eva replied.

Torbid silently thanked Odin for his good fortune. He never liked going on missions but these were the only Asgardians on Earth. He had no choice but to stick with them unless he wanted to be on his own and he never bode well being alone.

"Well, you guys will want to get a good nights sleep" Eva said as she got up and exited, Davy at her heels.

**Authors Note:**

** /* **So now we know who Lin really is and why Loki is after her. This brings up tons of problems. Think about it, what does Thor think of killing Loki? Now he's against a team of bad guys and he won't kill their leaders. That makes it just a _little_ harder to take them down.

And what is Darcy up to? No, she's not evil but she is certainly mischievous. The next thing that we see is Linda trudging through sewers while Loki is still confused about her shooting his foot. If I were him, I'd be glad it was my foot and not my brain but he does have a reason to be confused. After all, the Lin he knew was a hardened warrior and his best friend; her actions to harm him make no sense...yet.

We also meet some of Eva's group of misfit Asgardians. And now _everyone_ is in New York. Is anyone worried about what's going to happen when they collide? I can tell you now that you won't expect how things will play themselves out. ***/**


	9. Just Like Old Times

**Chapter 9: Just Like Old Times**

*****On Top of Stark Tower New York*****

Thor stared at the night sky. He was trying to calm himself but he was still surrounded by thunderclouds. He couldn't deny that he was worried. He didn't want to loose his throne, even if it was to his sister. He wouldn't loose it to Loki so why would he give it to Lin. Especially since her affinity was so…destructive.

He cringed every time he thought of her powers. She was unstable because of them. She was also incredibly dangerous. He knew he couldn't tell the other Avengers about her powers. If he did, they would give up and submit to Loki's demands. He had to make them think they had a chance.

He also knew that their only chance was to find Lin before Loki did and convince her to join them. It was much more challenging than it sounded but it must be done if they wanted to save Earth and Asgard. It would be much easier to kill her than it would be to persuade her to join their side but killing her wasn't an option. If they did, the aftershock would be catastrophic and that's not considering the damage she would do beforehand.

He couldn't help but remember the day he discovered her powers. Thor thought his were cool and unstoppable but hers were important and impossible to destroy. He wondered how she could possibly handle the responsibility she'd been handed. With the addition of her duty as heir to the throne, she had the weight of many worlds on her shoulders.

_He had walked into the castle's garden. Usually, he'd see the placid place and hang out for a bit. Sometimes he would just lie in the tranquil silence but other times, he would practice using his powers without worrying about harming someone since no one was ever there. This time the garden wasn't empty, though. He saw his sister, Lin, on her knees, doubled over, and clutching her head._

_At this point in time, they were arguing every time they saw each other. It was also a couple months before she left. He was hesitant at first to be there but seeing her in so much pain, he had to know what happened. Even though they were arguing, they were still siblings and he cared about her wellbeing. _

_He walked over to her and as he got closer, he saw all of the dead plants surrounding her in a perfect circle. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were shut in pain. She was shaking and barely able to keep herself together._

_He automatically knew what was going on. He saw this happen to a few Asgardians before when they pent up their powers for too long. He knew first hand that if he didn't regularly use his powers, they would overpower him and cause horrible thunderstorms to plague the area he was in. He had never seen her use her powers so he had no clue what they were._

_He knew he would find out soon. She was barely holding on. Thor walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. She opened her eyes and looked up to see him. She smiled weakly but then cringed as another wave of pain overcame her._

_"Run" she whispered hoarsely._

_"Not while you're in this state" Thor replied stubbornly as he picked her up and put her on the bench in the center of the garden. _

_She was trembling and fading in and out of consciousness at this point. Like a good brother, he stayed at her side. He had no idea how stupid he was to do this until a few minutes later when the trembling suddenly stopped. It was when the shaking and pain escaped her that he had no clue what he was going to face. _

_When he blinked, he knew what her powers were because when he blinked, he found himself in a hedge twenty feet away. All of the plants in between him and Lin were flattened like a pancake and winds raged around her. She was suspended into the air by the winds but as they stopped, she fell to the ground, still unconscious._

_Thor couldn't believe what he had just witnessed but now he understood why she kept her abilities a secret. She wasn't just an Asgardian, she was an extremely dangerous one that could potentially destroy a city with the blink of an eye. She was the goddess of tornadoes._

She was a very dangerous person indeed. Thor knew he had to find a way to stop her because she could destroy Earth much more easily than he or Loki could. He was lucky she'd remained in the shadows up until now but he also knew how unfortunate he was that she had decided to leave the shadows.

All he could hope for was that she'd see things through his eyes and join the Avengers.

*******In the Lobby of Stark Tower, New York*******

Tony stalked inside with Natasha and Steve at his heels. The rest of the trip had been spent in silence, no one was willing to break it in fear that someone would get hurt. Now that they were in the tower, Tony took up his usually cocky demeanor and Steve reclaimed his usual leader-like attitude.

In the lobby, excited to greet them once again, was Clint and Bruce. Clint automatically ran and embraced Natasha while Bruce began telling Tony about a new theorem he discovered. Steve stood awkwardly in the midst of all of the happy chattering. Already impatient with it, he took the stairs to Tony's lab. He was hoping to find his shield, which he loathed departing with.

When he left the Avengers, he knew he could no longer be Captain America. So, in order to resist the temptation, he left his famous shield under a floorboard in Tony's basement. Tony never knew about it, no one but him did, which was why he was personally going to go retrieve it. He knew that he would need it for the oncoming battles.

When he opened the door to the basement, he was surprised to see someone else down there. She was surprised to see him as well. When he entered she'd been pulling on a metallic glove. It was smooth and appeared to be flexible and thin. It was also obviously not one of Tony's Iron Man hands.

Hearing the door creak, she turned and jumped in surprise. The surprise did not last long though. She quickly got into a fighting stance, both black gloves on her hands. He put his hands up in surrender.

"At ease soldier, I come here in peace" Steve stated as he slowly approached her.

She lowered her lowered her hands and sighed in relief. "You'd better not tell anyone that I've been down here. They'll kill me" the girl replied.

Steve nodded as he knelt down and pried up the floorboard. Inside the compartment was his shield, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. He pulled it out and brushed the dust away. He looked up at her and noticed she was putting the pieces together and realizing who he was.

"As long as you don't tell Tony about my hiding spot, your secret is safe with me" Steve stated as he replaced the floorboard.

"You must be Steve. I'm Darcy. I believe we met over the phone" the girl stated as he turned to leave.

Now that she mentioned it, he noticed how similar she looked to Nick Fury. Then he looked at the gloves on her hands, there were thin blue lines on it as if it was half computer. It didn't take much to notice that Darcy wasn't a tactician like the elder Fury. She was obviously an inventor of some sort. He knew she had created the gloves herself, they didn't look like something Tony would create, they were too feminine. They were also too technologically advanced for any company to create.

As she noticed him observing the gloves, she put them behind her back. She glared at him and her eyes suggested that if he told anyone about them, he'd find out what they do the hard way. He looked away and they searched his brain for something to break the hostile silence. Luckily for him, his lack in social skills didn't matter because she was a naturally bubbly person.

"You'll find out about these another time. Anyway, we should head upstairs before anyone notices we're gone" Darcy said in her usual voice, which was cheerful and a bit mischievous.

*******In a Military Base Just Outside New York City*******

Nick Fury looked at the Helicarrier, the actual Helicarrier. The one he was on a few days ago was a smaller model. This was the real one, the original one, the huge one. He knew it was time that they boarded it once again. They needed the mobility and privacy it gave.

If they were to catch Loki _and_ the Aliens, they needed to be in two places at once, which was impossible. The closest they could get was with the Helicarrier. The only problem was convincing Bruce to get on it, which he figured wouldn't be that hard compared to the other things he has done.

The only thing he was worried was repairing the rift between him and his daughter. He was always extremely nervous around her, which was weird considering that even Loki didn't faze him. He loved her, she was his only child and she was a very accomplished girl. He'd seen her report cards, she'd never gotten below an A in any of her classes, even the challenging ones.

He was proud to call himself her father but he didn't think she knew that. He'd never been good at communicating with kids, which may have ruined his relationship with her. It had been getting worse ever since they first met, despite his enthusiasm. He'd never been able to express positive emotions very well, something that he's prided himself on every time except when he was around his family.

"It's ready to take off" one of the agents stated from somewhere behind him on his left.

He nodded and temporarily forced himself out of his reverie in order to handle the rest of the arrangements.

**Authors Note:**

**/***So a lot less happened in the chapter than usual. Nevertheless, what did occur is really important. First, we now know who Lin really is, an out of control deity who can control tornadoes. Do you think she's still out of control or that she can handle her powers pretty well now? The answer is pretty obvious…I think. The real question for her is whether she is on Thor or Loki's side.

Anyways, the next thing that happened was that Captain met Darcy. They start off a bit suspicious of each other (after all, they did find each other breaking into Tony's lab) but luckily they won't be arguing too much in the future. And now Steve has his shield! He's now officially Captain America again. Woohoo! He may not agree with my excitement but as a superhero, he knows how important his job is and he won't neglect his duties.

The last thing that happens is the real Helicarrier is prepared to take off. Now the Avengers don't have to hang out at Stark Towers and they can go anywhere. I realize I didn't mention Linda in this chapter, that's because she's still walking through the sewer. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be very interesting to read about. Anyways...until next time***/**


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